The Cookie Jar
by Raziel12
Summary: A series of shorts covering Fang, Lightning, and the others. Chapter 6: Of Aunt and Nieces. Diana spends some time with Vanille out on the plains, Claire (the younger) learns a thing or two about fighting from Claire (the older), and Averia learns something new about herself, and her mom, from Serah. Fluff and family.
1. Chapter 1

**The Cookie Jar**

**Diana and the Cookie Jar**

Diana skipped into the kitchen. Her Uncle Hope was babysitting her today, and he'd brought along a cool new video game for her to play. It was about a plumber who had to rescue a princess from evil turtles or something like that, but every time she reached the castle, the princess was never there and that meant she had to go all the way to the next castle.

Right now, they were taking a break, and she'd gone to get some juice from the fridge, but right as she was about to leave, she saw that one of the cupboards above her was open. It was way up high – even higher than her mommy's head – but she could just make out what looked like a jar of cookies.

Putting her glass of juice down on the kitchen counter, she strained to get a better look at the jar of cookies. Her mom must have put them up there, and if her mom had put them up there, then that meant the cookies had to be the kind that were super bad for her: double chocolate chip cookies with extra sprinkles. She licked her lips. It was like she could already taste them. Now, all she had to do was get them.

Face scrunched up with concentration, Diana bent her knees and then jumped as high as she could, her arms straining upward as high as they would go. She wasn't even close. Scowling, she jumped again, and then once more just to be sure, but try as she might, she couldn't get anywhere near the cookies. What now?

Carefully, she took a look around. There had to be something around that she could use. How about the kitchen counter? She could climb on top of it and then try jumping from there, but that didn't look very safe, and now that she thought about it, she probably wouldn't have been able to reach the cupboard even if she jumped from the counter. And a chair wouldn't help much either, since even the tallest chair wasn't as high as the kitchen counter, not to mention, that a lot of the chairs were really heavy and Averia wasn't there to move them for her.

She could try using a stick. Yes, she'd seen people at school use a long stick to knock a ball out of the branches of the big tree that grew near one of the fences. With a grin on her face, she ran up to her bedroom, ignoring the curious look her Uncle Hope sent her as she passed through the living room.

Up in her room, she pawed through all of her things. She had a fake sword, but that wasn't long enough. Even the walking stick she'd found at the park and brought home wasn't long enough. Then her eyes fell on the practice spear that her mommy had given Averia. It wasn't sharp or anything, and it was a bit heavy, but it looked like it was long enough. Smirking to herself, she grabbed the spear and ran back to the kitchen.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, she angled the spear up toward the jar of cookies. Yes, the spear was long enough to reach! But then she encountered another problem. The jar of cookies wasn't like a ball. If she just used the spear to shove the jar out of the cupboard, it would fall and break, and then she'd be in heaps of trouble. She could try and catch it, but the jar might be too heavy. She frowned. She really, really wanted the cookies, but not if it meant getting into lots of trouble.

Slowly, she put the spear down and started back toward the living room. If she stayed away any longer, her Uncle Hope might start getting suspicious, and there was still that video game to play. Wait… her Uncle Hope… he could get the cookies for her! All she had to do was convince him, and that wouldn't be too hard, not for her.

X X X

Hope looked away from the television as Diana tugged on his sleeve.

"Can I have some cookies, Uncle Hope?" The little girl gave him another one of her sunny smiles, and he felt something inside of him turn to mush. Had Lightning been this adorable as a child, or had Diana picked it up from Fang?

"Cookies?" Hope scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure that we have any cookies."

"But we do." Diana pulled him over to the kitchen and pointed up at one of the cupboards. "See, there are some in there."

Hope looked at the jar of cookies and bit back a wince. Despite her occasionally sour nature, Lightning had something of a sweet tooth, but it was often forced to take a back seat in favour of teaching the girl good eating habits. Hiding cookies was one of the few ways that Lightning could sneak the occasional sweet while still lecturing the girls on eating healthy. Moreover, as Diana's babysitter for the evening, Hope had a duty to ration the sweets.

"Please, Uncle Hope, I only want a few." Diana clasped her hands together and scuffed one shoe against the other. "Maybe even just one." She perked up. "You could even hold the cookie jar to make sure I don't eat too many." She looked up at him with those big blue eyes. "Please, Uncle Hope?"

Hope wavered and then sighed. She was too adorable for her own good, and she was right – so long as he held the cookie jar, he could make sure she didn't eat too many. "Fine, I guess we could have on each. We can eat them while we play."

"Thanks, Uncle Hope." Diana hugged his leg. "You're the best!"

It was only halfway through showing Diana the best way to play the video game that Hope realised how thoroughly he'd been played. With the controller in his hands, he'd been forced to let go of the cookie jar, and with his attention on the game, he'd never even noticed what was happening until Diana was halfway through the cookie jar.

Lightning was going to kill him.

**Averia and the Cookie Jar**

Averia had just spent the past two hours working on her project, and finally it was done. All of that hard work deserved a reward, and she was in the kitchen to get some ice cream when she spotted the open cupboard. There was a jar of cookies up there – cookies that would go very well with the ice cream she was about to have. The only question now was how to get to them without getting into trouble. As quietly as she could, she crept back into the living room. Her mommy was still there polishing her spear, so she could probably sneak at least a few cookies without being caught so long as she stayed in the dining room and ate quickly.

Back in the kitchen, she took a quick look around. The cupboard was too high for her to reach on her own from the ground, and the counter didn't look like a good place to stand either. However, there was a stool there and if she placed it right and then jumped off it, she could probably grab the top of the cupboard. All of the cupboards were bolted to the wall and she didn't weigh that much, so she could probably grab on without breaking anything.

She took one last look at everything and then pulled the stool into position.

One.

Two.

Three.

She took several steps forward and leapt onto the stool before jumping again. She sailed through the air, and for one horrible instant she wondered if she wasn't going to make it. Then her fingers latched onto the top of the cupboard. For a second, she dangled there, and then she took a deep breath before reaching into the cupboard and pulling out the jar of cookies. Her lips curled. Perfect, they were double chocolate chip cookies with sprinkles.

And then the worst possible thing happened. The cookie jar slipped out of her hand and tumbled toward the floor.

Only to be caught in mid air.

"You know," Fang drawled a smirk on her face as she took in the blush on her daughter's face. "If you wanted some cookies, you could have just asked."

"Oh." Averia pushed off from the cupboard and landed in a crouch. "Then why are they up there?"

Fang opened the jar of cookies and popped one into her mouth. "Your mom likes to hide them up there – she's got a bit of a sweet tooth and up there is one of the only places she can put them where you and your sister won't just find them and eat them." She swaggered back toward the living room, stopping just long enough to toss a grin over her shoulder at Averia. "Come on then, we can eat in the living room, and I can explain how you really steal food out of the kitchen without getting caught." She laughed. "Your mom still doesn't know who ate the last slice of chocolate cake."

Averia darted over to the fridge to grab the ice cream and two bowls, and then fell into step beside Fang. "That was you?"

Best. Mommy. Ever.

**Claire and the Cookie jar**

Claire's stomach rumbled as she looked up into the cupboard. There were some really nice looking cookies up there.

"Daddy," she shouted. "Can you get me these cookies?"

Less than a minute later, and Claire had her hands on the cookie jar.

"It must be nice being so tall," Claire said as she unscrewed the lid of the cookie jar. The smell of the cookies washed over her and her stomach gave another rumble. They smelled so, so good.

Snow laughed. "It comes in handy sometimes. Although I will say it drives your mommy nuts have to ask me to get things out of the top cupboards." He gave her a conspiratorial smile. "If you ask me, you won't have that problem. I'm sure you'll grow up to be taller than her."

"What was that?"

Claire froze. That was her mommy's 'Aunt Lightning voice'. "Uh… hi, mommy." She held up the cookie jar. "Daddy and I were just about to have some cookies, do you want some too?"

Serah looked from her daughter to her husband, both of whom wore identical sheepish looks. Her lips twitched. Well, if they wanted to make fun of her height…

"Mine now," Serah said as she plucked the cookie jar out of Claire's hands and traipsed back into the living room.

Claire and Snow watched her leave.

"Mommy can be scary sometimes," Claire whispered. "No wonder she and Aunt Lightning are sisters."

Snow nodded sagely. "Farron women are a scary breed." He grinned. "But that's why we love them." He patted Claire on the head. "Come on, let's head over to the living room and beg for some cookies."

"I thought heroes never beg."

Snow laughed. "Don't worry, you'll understand when you're older."

X X X

**Author's Notes**

This story basically came about because some readers asked questions like: "What would Diana/Averia/Claire do in [insert random situation]?" This story is my way of trying to answer that question using one of the most common situations in every child's life, the jar of cookies.

As you can see, all three of the girls adopted very different approaches. Diana used her cuteness to con Hope into getting her the cookies, and then a bit of cunning to make sure she got to eat as many as she wanted. In contrast, Averia decided to go the more direct route, and she was lucky that it was Fang around and not Lightning. As for Claire… she got the cookies the quickest, but whether or not she actually got to eat any is another question. Being around a lot of people who are all taller than her by a considerable margin (with the exception of Vanille), I can easily see Serah being just a little bit touchy about it (and Snow is a giant, let's face it). Of course, she's not actually going to eat all the cookies on her own… she just wants to mess with them a little.

I'll probably add more to this now and then, with the girls coming up against other commonplace situations. If you've got any suggestions, then by all means, send them. This is something that we (i.e., you and me) can all have a bit of fun with. As for the chapter title, it's a tribute to one of my favourite mangas of all time, Yotsubato! (which translates roughly into Yotsuba and!). If you like slice-of-life stories, you should check it out. Diana and Yotsuba would definitely be best friends.

Finally, the game Diana was playing with Hope was based on Mario (the original one on the NES).

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hugs and Kisses**

**Diana and Kisses**

Lightning winced as Diana tripped over and tumbled to the ground. She'd warned her daughter over and over again about the dangers of running around with her shoelaces untied, but as usual Diana had been determined to prove her wrong. Using the warped logic common to young children, Diana was certain that she – out of all people in the universe – was utterly immune to the dangers posed by untied shoelaces. Never mind all of the other times that she'd tripped over them in the past. Honestly, Lightning would have been better off telling Diana to leave them untied – her daughter might have tied them just to be obnoxious.

However, none of that matter when Diana looked up at her with watery eyes.

"My knee, mom!" Diana wailed as she clutched at her leg. "I think I broke my knee!"

"Really?" Lightning walked over to Diana and knelt down to examine her daughter's 'broken' knee. As she suspected, the joint wasn't anywhere near broken, although Diana had definitely scraped it. "Are you sure it's broken?"

Diana sniffled and nodded. "Yes." She pointed at the scrape. "See – all of the bones are sticking out."

Lightning bit back a chuckle. It wouldn't do to laugh. Diana could be quite touchy about that that sort of thing, although she did have a gift for exaggeration. "Well, we can't have that." She put one hand over Diana's knee and used a quick Cure to deal with the injury. Then she pressed her lips against the newly healed skin. "There, all better."

A broad grin spread across Diana's lips. "You're the best, mom!" Then she threw her arms around Lightning's neck. "But my knee still hurts a bit… do you think you could carry me home?"

"Lazy girl." But even as she said it, Lightning swung Diana up into her arms. "I suppose I can carry you home, but only if you promise to actually listen to me next time. If I tell you to do something, it's because I want what's best for you, Diana."

"Okay, I promise." Diana snuggled up to Lightning. "Maybe we can get pizza for dinner, I think that would make my knee from stop hurting."

"Pizza?" Lightning chuckled. "Don't push your luck, Diana. I'll carry you home, but for not listening when I told you to tie your shoelaces, you're getting extra vegetables with dinner."

"No!" Diana thrashed in Lightning's arms. "What if I walk home instead? Can I not get extra vegetables then?"

"Nope, I'm carrying you, and you're definitely going to get those extra vegetables." As Diana continued to try and squirm away, Lightning bit back a smile. Maybe after this, her daughter would remember to tie her shoelaces when they came undone.

**Averia and Hugs**

Averia took one look at the haggard figure hunched over the coffee table and sighed. Her mom worked too hard, especially since she'd heard from her Uncle Hope that there were people she could give her work to. Knowing her mom though, she didn't trust anyone else to do it, which was a shame since no one could do everything on their own. Even Averia knew that, and she was only a kid.

Well, there were things she could do to help. Ignoring the curious look Diana sent her, she headed into the kitchen and boiled some water in the kettle. She wasn't allowed to drink coffee yet, but she'd watched her mom make it often enough to know exactly how she liked it. A few minutes later, she ambled back into the living room with a cup of coffee and set it down on the coffee table.

"Here," she said, looking everywhere but at her mom. Stuff like this made her nervous, even though she knew it shouldn't. It was like she was doing anything wrong. "You looked like you could use some coffee."

"I have been working a lot, haven't I?" Averia froze as her mom reached over and tugged her into a hug. "Thank you for being so thoughtful."

Her mom must be really tired if she was giving out hugs so easily. "It's no big deal." Averia untangled herself from her mom's arms. "You look tired, that's all." She took a quick look at her mom and then just as quickly looked away when amused blue eyes met hers. "And it's not like Diana was going to do it – she's not allowed to do stuff with boiling water yet. And mommy would be sad if you fell asleep on the touch again."

"That's true." Averia's eyes widened as her mom bit back what sounded a lot like a snigger. "But it was still very nice of you."

"I guess." Averia looked over at Diana. "Don't work too hard, mom."

"I won't." Her mom took a sip of her coffee. "Why don't you go play with your sister? It looks like she wants you to help her with something."

On the other side of the living room, Diana was waving frantically from a pile of plastic blocks that had begun to resemble their mom's Eidolon. They'd already built their mommy's Eidolon, so it was only fair they got around to their mom's.

"I better go help her." Averia glanced back at her mom. "Tell me if you need any more coffee."

As Averia walked off, Lightning took another sip of her coffee and smiled. Her daughter was like her: prickly on the outside and soft on the outside.

**Claire and Hugs**

"Thanks for helping me with the cake, Aunt Lightning!"

Lightning wondered when exactly it had become common for everyone to call her Lightning. It was her own fault: she'd gone by that name for so long that most people didn't even know it wasn't her real name. Certainly the girls – Averia, Diana and Claire – had all seemed thoroughly sceptical when she'd tried to explain that Claire was her real name not Lightning. Diana had even go so far as to suggest that if people could change their names whenever they wanted to, then from now on everyone had to call her Kid Awesome.

"It's okay, Claire," Lightning said. "It's for your mother, after all."

Claire nodded enthusiastically. "She always bakes me a cake on my birthday, and since tomorrow is her birthday, I thought I'd bake her one for once." She gave the tall blonde in the corner of the kitchen an apologetic look. "I asked daddy for help but…"

"I'm not much of a cake guy," Snow explained. "I can cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, but cakes and I have never gotten along too well."

His words were all but begging for a snide remark, but Lightning knew all too well what it was like to have someone with a highly specific culinary weakness. Fang could cook. In fact, she was quite marvellous when it came to cooking anything using the more traditional methods, but give her a microwave and a bag of popcorn, and it would be two minutes tops before one of the girls was running around screaming that they were all going to die because the microwave was on fire again.

"That's okay." A shudder rippled through Lightning as she forced a few unpleasant microwave related memories away. "And it is for Serah."

"How long do we have to wait?" Claire asked. Over the past few minutes, she'd started to look hungry, and in between eyeing the left over cake batter and the oven, Lightning felt it would probably be for the best to get her out of the kitchen.

"It will be a while longer, but I've set the oven timer so we'll now when to take it out." Lightning turned to walk out of the kitchen. "Now, come on. We can eat some snacks and watch television while we wait."

"Thanks again, Aunt Lightning!" Claire cried as she latched onto Lightning's middle.

It took a split-second for Lightning to understand why her stomach felt cold: it was the batter still smeared on Claire's hands. That same batter was now all over her brand new shirt. In the corner of the kitchen, Snow looked horrified. Slowly, Lightning eased out of Claire's hug.

"You're welcome. Now, how about you wash your hands?"

Claire looked at her hands as if noticing the batter for the first time. Then she looked at Lightning's shirt. "Oh. Oops."

Lightning nodded. "Yes, oops."

Quick as a flash, Claire washed her hands and scampered out of the kitchen. Experience had taught her that when it came to her Aunt Lightning, it was better to run away and live to fight another die.

"You would have strangled me if I'd done that," Snow pointed out with a grin.

"You're a grown man, I expect more from you." Lightning eyed the shirt. She would have to change into a new one. At least, it would only need a wash. "Besides, I've had worse. This was a vanilla cake. The last time I cooked a cake with Diana, it was chocolate, and I swear more of the chocolate icing ended up on me than on the cake."

"Sounds rough." Snow walked out of the kitchen. "I'll go find something to watch on television."

A lazy grin crossed Lightning's lips. Things had gotten rough thanks to a certain dark haired woman. Fang had walked in on them baking and once the cake was in the oven, and Diana was off watching the latest episode of Gary the Gorgonopsid, the other woman had whisked her upstairs to 'help' her change.

Of course, Fang wasn't the sort of person to let anything go to waste, least of all chocolate icing. Rather than let Lightning wash it off, she'd opted to do the environmentally friendly thing and remove it all by hand – and tongue – thereby saving a lot water. Subsequent events, however, had led to both of them needing a shower. Their sheets had also needed a good wash to get rid of all the chocolate stains.

Lightning hadn't been able to look at chocolate cake for months without thinking of all the things Fang had said and done. The other woman had been very demonstrative and eloquent in expressing her love for Lightning flavoured chocolate. When they'd finally gotten around to eating the cake that had started it all, Lightning hadn't been able to eat a single slice of it, not with Fang eating hers in a way that could only be described as, well, utterly enticing. Thankfully, all of the innuendo had gone right over Diana's head, and the little girl had been only too happy to eat Lightning's share of the cake, and she would have started in on Averia's if the other girl hadn't quickly warded her off with a plastic fork.

Ah, the joys of her family, where even baking could turn dangerous.

**Snow and Hugs**

Snow looked at the little pink haired bundle in his arms. He wasn't ready for this. Hell, he'd never be ready for this. What if he messed up? What if he was a bad father? What if –

"Idiot."

He flinched and turned to meet Lightning's gaze. "What did you say?"

The soldier sighed. "I can tell what you're thinking and you're being an idiot." She nodded at the baby in his arms, at the little girl he and Serah had named after her. "Do you really think I'd let you marry my sister if I didn't know you'd make a good husband and father? Of course not. You've been a good husband to Serah and I know you'll make a good father. Now, stop gawking at your daughter and hand her over. It's my turn to hold her."

Before he knew it, Snow began to laugh. Lightning had all the emotional subtlety of a brick to the face, but sometimes that's what people needed. "Thanks, Lightning." He gave Claire one last, lingering look, and then passed her to Lightning. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

The pink haired woman's lips twitched. "I bet she gets it all from Serah."

Snow did his best impression of a kicked puppy, which wasn't much good at all considering how big he was. "That's mean."

"Oh fine." Lightning brushed one finger along Claire's cheek. Her sister had a daughter. How amazing was that? With any luck, Claire and Averia would get along, although Averia – who was in Fang's arms a few feet away – was already scowling at the other baby. That probably didn't mean much though, since Averia seemed to spend a lot of her time scowling. "I suppose some of her cuteness might have come from you. She does have your eyes."

That was too much for Snow, and the big man wrapped his arms around Lightning and Claire. "I always knew you'd warm up to me."

Lightning scowled, which served only to deepen the scowl on Averia's face. "You're lucky that I'm holding your daughter, otherwise I'd hit you right now."

Snow laughed. "Heh, she's already saving her old man's life."

On the bed nearby, Serah shared an amused look with Fang. Whether or not she wanted to admit it, Lightning had mellowed over the years, at least when it came to Snow.

**Hope and Kisses**

Lightning watched Hope shiver beneath the blanket. There were some things that their l'Cie powers couldn't cure and this fever was one of them. What was supposed to have been a simple training exercise had ended with Hope sick, hallucinating and calling out for his mother. That last part was especially hard for Lightning to bear. She knew what it was like to lose her mother, and even after all these years, she still couldn't shake a sense of responsibility for what had happened to Hope's mother. At the same time, she knew that Snow, who was watching from the shadows of the doorway, felt even worse.

"Mom…" Hope rasped. "Mom… where are you? Mom…"

Even brave men called for their mothers when things got bad enough, Lightning had seen that in the Guardian Corps.

"Can't we do something?" Snow whispered. Unable to stand there doing nothing, he'd taken a dishcloth from the kitchen and was in the middle of strangling it.

"No." Lightning sighed. "The poison wasn't fatal, but there's nothing we can do but wait for it to pass. He should be fine by morning."

Snow closed his eyes. "There has to be something. I can't stand seeing him like this and hearing him call for his mom…"

"Then don't stand there." Lightning winced. She hadn't meant to sound so sharp. "Look, there isn't anything else you can do. You can use the guestroom. Get some sleep, and I'll watch him for the night."

The blonde looked like he wanted to argue, but in the end, he gave in. "Fine, but get me if you need anything."

When Snow had left, Lightning looked back at Hope. She hadn't told the whole truth. There was something she could do, although she wasn't sure it would work.

"Mom…" Hope whimpered. "Mom…"

"It's all right," Lightning whispered as she bent to press a kiss to Hope's forehead. "Mom's here."

At her voice, Hope's feverish struggles weakened, and a hazy, confused smile twisted his lips. "Mom?"

"Yes." Lightning hoped that wherever Nora was she forgave her. "It's mom. Go to sleep, I'm here."

As Hope stilled, Lightning never noticed the red head standing outside the open door. Vanille turned and left as silently as she had come. It was easy to make fun of Lightning sometimes, but this wasn't something she'd ever make fun of Lightning for. She wouldn't tell anyone about it either. Some things were private.

**Vanille and Kisses**

Another drunken punch sailed well wide of the mark, and Lightning winced as Vanille followed up with an equally sloppy kick.

"Vanille, what do you think you're doing?"

The petite red head lifted both her hands into what only vaguely resembled a boxing stance. "I'm defending my sister's honour, you cad! Now, stop running away and fight me fairly."

It was a testament to how drunk Vanille was that she actually thought she could take Lightning in a fair fight.

"I'm not going to fight you." Lightning bobbed under another wild haymaker and then put one hand on Vanille's head to hold her at bay. To her amazement, the shorter woman continued to flail about in a vain attempt to hit her. Damn it, where was her phone? She needed to get Fang on the line to talk some sense into Vanille.

"I know you're going to propose!" Vanille growled as she finally thought of swiping Lightning's hand off her head. "You're going to take my sister away!"

So that was what this was all about? Any aggravation she might have felt at Vanille vanished. She knew what it was like to get really, really drunk and try and beat someone up for stealing her sister. In her case, Fang had caught her halfway to Snow's house and carried her back home, kicking and screaming, to cool off. It wasn't one of her finer moments, and to the other woman's credit, she hadn't mentioned it since.

But she hadn't expected Vanille to have that problem. Vanille had always been very supportive of her and Fang's relationship. She'd even helped Lightning study up on some of the customs involved in wooing a woman of the Yun clan. Admittedly, Vanille had made up some of those customs. For instance, Lightning hadn't actually needed to romance Fang by festooning a bed with roses artfully arranged to conceal her naked body. Naturally, Fang had waited until _after_ the event to point that out.

However, all of Vanille's pranks aside – and it was hard for Lightning to get that mad when most those pranks ended up with her and Fang in bed – the red head had also given her a great deal of insight into Fang's clan and their customs. Even if the Yun clan was all but gone, Lightning had been able reassure Fang that their ways were most certainly not forgotten.

But Vanille and Fang were close, and for a long time, all they'd had was each other. It was no wonder that Vanille was worried about losing her sister, and large quantities of alcohol probably hadn't help either. On the upside, the alcohol made Vanille even worse at hand-to-hand combat.

"I'm not going to take your sister away." Lightning twisted around another punch and then wrapped her arms firmly around Vanille, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Really?" Vanille's voice had taken on a bizarrely hopeful tone as she looked up at Lightning with something akin to awe. "So, you're not going to take her back to your house and do all sorts of wicked things to her and never let her see me again?"

Well, Lightning had sort of been planning to do a lot of wicked things to Fang, but… "Of course not, and I'll let her see you as much as you want. Fang's your sister, but you know, Vanille, I was wondering if you could be my sister too?"

Vanille gaped. "You mean it?"

"Yes."

"But if you're my sister and Fang's my sister and you two get married, won't that be weird?" Vanille frowned. "You're not weird, are you?"

"I hope not." Lightning winced. Vanille's mind was a mystery to her a lot of the time, and now she was certain she'd never understand it. "

"I guess you're all right." Vanille sagged and Lightning scrambled to get a better hold of her. "I suppose you can have Fang, but make sure that you remember…" Lightning's eyes widened as Vanille very loudly began to reel off an itemised list of what she perceived to be Fang's bad habits. "So, yeah… if you can put up with all of those, then that's okay." She managed to free one of her arms enough to give Lightning a thumbs up. "Good luck, sister."

"Uh, sure." Lightning brushed her lips against Vanille's forehead. "Now, how about we get you upstairs so you can sleep?"

"Okay." Vanille snuggled up to Lightning. "You're cuddly."

A sigh left Lightning's lips. Oh the things she did for Fang. After getting Vanille into bed – and doing her best to ignore the red head's mutterings about how Serah was even cuddlier than her – Lighting called Fang.

"Guess who barged into our house at two in the morning, Fang…"

**Sazh and Almost Hugs**

One of the things that Lightning liked about spending time with Sazh was that he was happy to spend a few hours watching the world go by. They were doing that right now at the ranch he'd bought. In front of them, the chocobos in the pen were milling about as Dajh and Snow angled for a ride or two. Normally, the sight would have brought a grin to his face, but today, there wasn't even a trace of a smile.

"Dajh looks like he's having a fun time with Snow." Lightning smiled faintly as the blonde lifted Dajh up onto a chocobo and then climbed on behind him. Chirpy, of course, had taken a spot on one Snow's broad shoulders.

"Yeah, well, he likes chocobos." Sazh shrugged. "This place is about as close to heaven as he can get."

Lightning watched as he fell silent again, but it wasn't the easy-going silence she was used to. There was something eating him up inside, and his eyes weren't looking at Dajh so much as they were looking at something no one else could see. "Sazh… what are you thinking about? And if it's something private, you don't have to say. I know all about not wanting to talk."

"I guess you do." Sazh bit his lip. "But maybe it's time I talked about it, and at least I can trust you to keep quiet." He closed his eyes and leaned back against the bench. "Dajh's mother – my wife – passed away on this day. He doesn't really remember it, and I try not to make a fuss, but this year, I can't seem to get it out of my head."

"I see." Lightning had a feeling she knew why that was. Snow and Serah had gotten married a few months ago and seeing them together must have brought back memories of his own newlywed days.

"I just…" Sazh clenched his fists. "I just don't like it that no one else remembers her except for me. She was a wonderful woman and that doesn't seem fair."

There was some dust in her eyes, she was sure of it. "If it helps, you could tell me a bit about her. Then it wouldn't be only you who remembers her." She might have hugged him then, but Dajh had turned to watch them, and she didn't the want boy to see his father cry because she had a feeling that's what Sazh would do if she touched him.

"I could do that," Sazh said softly. "Well, to start with…"

**Serah and Hugs**

"I can't believe you're sick." Serah tried – and failed – to bite back a grin. Her sister was sick. Lightning never got sick! And with Fang and Vanille away on an expedition, Lightning could either let Serah look after her, or she could ask Snow. Score one for the little sister!

"I am not sick!" Lightning seemed the very opposite of well with her runny nose, puffy eyes and a voice that sounded like she'd gargled several sheets of sandpaper.

"Yes, you are." Serah patted Lightning's head. "Now, be a good girl and lie down. I'll make some chicken soup for you and then get lunch ready for the girls." An enraged scream echoed up from the living room. "It sounds like they've already started playing their video game."

Serah went downstairs to get everything ready, fully aware that her sister had zero intention of doing as she was told. Lightning called it taking the initiative. Serah called it being mule headed. Sure enough, only a few minutes had passed before fresh screams came from the living room.

"Stay back, Aunt Serah!" Diana jabbed one finger at Lightning. "Our mom turned into a zombie!"

Beside Diana, Averia and Claire were both regarding Lightning with looks of suspicion. To be fair, they were in the middle of a zombie survival game, and Lightning did look rather horrible. With a mug of chicken soup in one hand, Serah herded her sister back toward the stairs.

Lightning managed a weak scowl. "I'm not that sick."

"Really?" Serah set the mug of chicken soup down on the stairs. Lightning could barely stand, which meant this was the perfect time to try something she'd wanted to do for years. She just hoped she was strong enough.

"Hey!" Lightning squawked as Serah scooped her into her arms bridal style. "Put me down!"

Serah staggered for a moment then managed to steady herself. "Not a chance. You've carried me enough times, so now it's my turn."

"Serah!"

Drawn by Lightning's cries, all three of the girls stopped to watch from the bottom of the stairs.

"Averia," Diana said. "Do you think I could carry you if I tried?"

The older girl took one look at her sister. "No."

Diana scowled. "Claire do you think–"

"No."

**Fang and Kisses**

Fang had spent a lot of time thinking about which one of Lightning's kisses she liked the most. There was their first kiss, of course, and their kiss to seal their wedding vows. But there were also the kisses that Lightning had given her when each of their children had been born, and the kisses she and Lightning had shared each time one of the girls passed another milestone.

And what about all the other times Lightning kissed her? Some of those kisses were the kind that set her blood on fire, the kind that left her weak in the knees and wanting so much more. And then there were the gentler kisses, like all the times Lightning had been forced to go into work early, but had left Fang with the whisper of lips against her forehead. Sometimes when the kids weren't looking, Lightning would lean over and brush her lips ever so lightly against Fang's. Those kisses never lasted long enough, but they always promised more, once they could find the time.

Then there were the silly kisses. More than once, after sparring, Fang had insisted Lightning kiss her bruises better, and quite often Lighting had complied, her lips curled ever so slightly to remind Fang how ridiculous her demands were. Over the years, Lightning had also learned that the quickest way to shut Fang up was to kiss her. It was cheating, but Fang had never been able to bring herself to care. And she couldn't forget all the kisses she and Lightning had shared just to freak out the kids. All it took was a quick peck on the cheek, and Averia and Diana would be screaming in horror like they'd walked in on a murder scene.

Thinking about it, Fang realised that she was going about things the wrong way. It didn't matter what kind of kiss it was, so long as it was from Lightning. Every kiss with Lightning was her favourite kiss.

**Author's Notes**

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

This is a kind of mirror to the first chapter. In that chapter, we asked: how would the girls deal with the same situation? Different personalities and abilities led to the same situation (the cookies) being dealt with in very different ways. In this chapter, the focus is on Lightning and how the same behaviour (kissing or hugging someone else) can manifest in very different ways depending on the other person.

I decided to lead off with the girls because I thought it was a kind of cute way to get things started. The others, of course, varied from being more serious (Hope) to being more comical (Vanille). Rain, hail or shine, Lightning has a hug or kiss to suit the occasion! As for why I chose hugs and kisses… well, I thought it would be fun seeing as how Lightning is kind of like a pink haired hedgehog when it comes to emotions.

Also, you can find links to my blog and deviant art in my profile, along with links to eBook version of Ordinary Heroes.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**Claire Notices Things**

The first one to notice when Vanille and Hope's friendship took a turn toward the romantic wasn't Fang or Lightning. It wasn't even Serah, despite the fact that Vanille spent at least a few hours each week at the pink haired woman's house gossiping while Claire and Snow quietly snuck ice cream out of the fridge (the ice cream always tasted better that way). No, the first person to notice anything was Claire.

It happened on a day at the park. Her mommy and daddy were spending the day with her Aunt Lightning and her Aunt Fang. Her daddy called it a couple's day or something like that. All Claire knew was that her mommy practically skipped out the door while her Aunt Lightning scowled at everything, even the rose bush on the front lawn. Most people would have been scared when her Aunt Lightning started scowling like that, but Claire had seen so it so much she barely even noticed. It would have been scarier if her Aunt Lightning started grinning all the time like her Aunt Fang.

So while her mommy and daddy were out with her Aunt Lightning and Aunt Fang, she spent the day with her Aunt Vanille and Uncle Hope. Diana and Averia were there too, of course, and after lunch they all went to the park. At the park, she and Averia spent all their time looking for plants for their school project while Diana spent her time on the swings with some of her friends who'd also come to the park.

At first, everything was like it always was. Diana made loud, happy noises and Averia frowned a lot since she knew her plant would probably die soon (Averia's plants always died). But as Diana waved goodbye to her friends, something different happened, and Claire noticed something.

Diana grabbed her Aunt Vanille with one hand and her Uncle Hope with the other and dragged the two adults over to the climbing frame. And that's when her Aunt Vanille looked first at Diana and then at her Uncle Hope. It wasn't the usual look – the one that said she was happy to help Diana make mischief – it was something else, something deeper that Claire couldn't quite understand. Her mommy and daddy looked at her that way sometimes, and when they did, she always felt so loved, like she was the most precious thing in the world. Then her Aunt Vanille looked at her Uncle Hope and it was the exact same look her mommy always gave her daddy. And just like that Claire knew.

Her Aunt Vanille and her Uncle Hope were in love. Maybe they didn't know it yet, or maybe they didn't want to tell anyone, but they were in love as surely as her mommy and her daddy were.

As the two adults watched Diana climb all over the climbing frame, Claire put her plant down and sat on a tree stump. Should she tell someone?

"Averia," Claire asked as the other girl continued to look for more plants, enough that she'd have something left for school even if most of them died. "If Aunt Vanille was with someone – you know like how my mommy is with my daddy – what would your mommy do?"

"Spear them." Averia shrugged. "And then my mom would probably help her hide the body."

"Oh." Claire winced. Maybe it would be better if she didn't say anything at all, at least for now. "Hey, why don't you let me look after your plant? That way it won't die, and we can go play with Diana."

**Averia Notices Things**

Averia knew what love was – at least she was pretty sure she did. Love was all about looking after the people you cared about and punching anything that tried to hurt them. Sure there were things she couldn't punch (like the cold that had Diana sniffling and wheezing for a week, or the shyness that made some of her friends at school afraid to talk to new people), but there was plenty of stuff she could punch. If anyone messed with Diana, they'd get punched. And if anyone messed with Claire, they'd get punched too (if Claire didn't get them first). And if something or someone was too big for her to punch, then she'd just wait until she was bigger too.

There was other stuff too when it came to love… mushy stuff that was in those books she read sometimes even though she probably wasn't supposed to (but then why did her Aunt Serah leave them out?). Like, when people loved each other, they did stuff like kissing and touching and… and… other things (she skipped over those bits as much as she could, but sometimes the book just opened there, and it wasn't her fault if she read a bit). And people were supposed to say stuff too, hopefully with wine and roses and lots of other things that cost a lot of money and didn't make much sense to her.

She'd seen some of that other stuff. Her mommy and her mom kissed all the time (and she'd tried to get them to stop doing it where she could see them, but they never listened!), and her mommy and mom always said they loved each other. Sure, her mom kind of whispered, but her mommy said it loudly and with a big smile on her face and her mom would blush and scowl at the same time and sometimes try to punch her mommy in the head. But Averia could tell her mom wasn't really annoyed, since the punch was always so slow even she could have dodged it, and her mommy would always grin, grab her mom's hand and kiss it. It was weird.

But she'd never understood love – not really – until one night, she got thirsty and went downstairs for a glass of juice. It wasn't that late – her clock said it was a bit after midnight – so her parents might still be awake. She crept downstairs and then stopped at the door into the living room. The lights were off, but there was music playing, nice music, like the music she was learning to play on the piano. It was the music they played in all the movies when people were dancing in dresses and suits and fancy things.

And her parents were dancing.

Sort of.

Her mommy was holding her mom from behind, her arms wrapped around her mom's waist, her head resting on her mom's shoulder. The two of them were just swaying to the music with their eyes closed and their lips almost touching. There was enough light coming from the hallway for Averia to make out their faces, and for a second, she almost didn't recognise them.

Her mom was supposed to be calm and stern, but right now, there was a gentle smile on her face, one that made her look like she was dreaming something nice. And her mommy wasn't grinning, or laughing, or smiling so widely it made Averia wonder how anyone could have a smile so big. No, her mommy had that same gentle look on her face, and the two of them – her mom and her mommy – were talking, whispering so quietly that Averia couldn't make out the words.

She needed to go past them to get to the kitchen, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. They looked… they looked right like that, like it was how they were meant to be, and it would have been wrong to make them stop. Some things were too nice and pretty to touch, and she knew, somehow, that this was one of them. So she turned around and went back to bed. She could always get her glass of juice in the morning.

The next morning, she went to school, but all she could think about was what she'd seen. She couldn't put it into words, couldn't find a way to talk about it. But it was something that would stick with her, something she'd forget after a while only to remember later when she was old enough to love someone the way her parents loved each other: her mommy and her mom dancing in the dark as perfect as anything could be.

**Diana Notices Things (Sort Of)**

Arguing was awesome, and sometimes Diana did it just for fun since her sister was so easy to tease. Sometimes she'd ask silly questions, like whether Gary could beat Mr Snaggles in a fight (which was stupid since everyone knew a gorgonopsid couldn't beat a dragon in a fight), and Averia's eyes would get all narrow and she'd scowl exactly like their mom.

Most people would get scared and run away, but Diana never did. Averia hardly ever got mad at her for real, and even when she did, she never stayed mad for long. Then, once she was done scowling, Averia would start talking, explaining why Diana was wrong with big words and big gestures, and she'd go on and on and on. That was when things got fun. Diana would grin – and she grinned like a mix of her mommy and her Aunt Vanille – and say: "I thought so."

It always took Averia a few seconds to understand that Diana had tricked her again (Diana always knew the answer to the question she asked), and then she'd lunge, hands like claws. But Diana would be one step ahead, running away and laughing at the same time. Averia wouldn't hurt her, but she would definitely noogie her if she could catch her.

Diana wasn't the only one in their family who liked arguing either. In fact, she noticed that everyone in her family liked arguing. Her mommy and mom argued all the time. Sometimes it was about weapons (was a spear or a sword better? Diana wasn't sure, but she'd rather have a dragon), or about Eidolons (Mr Snaggles was way better than Odin), but lots of times it was about little things that didn't matter all that much. But the whole time, no matter how loudly they were arguing, they were smiling. Well, her mommy was smiling, grinning like she usually was, but her mom would have that little lip twitch that meant she was having fun, and her eyes would go all bright and blue and happy.

Sometimes her friends saw her parents arguing, and they wondered why that didn't make Diana sad. Lots of people's parents argued, but those arguments were different. Those parents got all red in the face and they said mean things that made the other person act like they'd been punched and their eyes weren't happy at all – they were red and puffy and no one was smiling.

One time, one of her classmate's parents had started yelling at each other at the front gate of the school. Everyone had stared, but they'd kept on yelling and yelling and her classmate had run away and hidden in a tree. Diana knew because it was her favourite tree, and she'd gone up there to offer some of her candy since candy always made her feel better when she was sad.

But her friends didn't understand. Some people liked arguing. It made them happy, and they weren't mean about it. It was like how she and Averia would fight sometimes. It was always for fun, and they never hit each other hard enough to hurt.

So long as her mommy and her mom had happy eyes when they were fighting, she knew it was only for fun. And they weren't the only ones to argue either. Her mom argued with her Uncle Snow all the time, but she could tell that it was only for fun too. Her mom would scowl and growl and shake her fist, but her eyes were warm, not cold, and her Uncle Snow would grin and laugh. It was the same with her Aunt Serah. Sometimes her Aunt Serah would grab her mom and start lecturing (her Aunt Serah was almost as good at that as her mom) and her mom would lecture back, and they'd both stare and scowl. But in the end, her mom would give in (she always gave in to her Aunt Serah) and the two of them would smile again and her mom would mutter something about "troublesome little sisters" while her mommy looked at Aunt Vanille and nodded.

Yep, lots of people liked arguing in her family.

Maybe she should go argue with Averia now. There was still another half an hour until that show about the ocean came on. But what should she argue about? She saw the pizza coupon pinned to the fridge and grinned. They could argue about what the best flavour of pizza was. It didn't matter that they liked the same flavour. All she had to do was say one thing and Averia would start lecturing. Averia wouldn't even notice what was going on until it was too late. And if Diana got into trouble, her mommy (also known as "the safe zone") was on the couch.

Hehehehe.

**Author's Notes**

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

Children see a lot of things, but not all of them make sense until they are older. Some things (like romantic love), we can't ever understand until we're old enough to feel it for ourselves. Other things, like our families, we can't ever appreciate properly until we've seen other families that don't fit together as well. This chapter was trying to capture some of that feeling of puzzlement and wonder (and sadness too, sometimes) that children feel when they see things.

With regards to the final part (Diana's), this is something I've noticed in my life. My sister and I are very close, but if you listened to us to talk to each other sometimes, you'd think we dislike each other. We regularly throw insults of varying degrees of cleverness at each other, but those insults are always delivered with genuine affection. I consider it a mark of how well we get along that she can tell me I'm full of crap whenever she thinks I'm being ridiculous (which seems to be very often), and that we often discuss when would be the best time to kick the other in the back (the answer is: whenever the other isn't looking). All of the best friends I've ever had were people I could argue with, and I think there's a lot to be said about not having to temper your words around someone because you understand each other well enough to know when words are meant in jest and good humour, and when they are meant in malice.

Finally, in my profile you can find links to my blog and deviant art. I've recently put up a post talking about what I would ship if I didn't ship FLight! Redkid11 has also made a wonderful comic covering Chapter 12 of Whispers of the Gods. It's called 'The Broken Sword' and I have a link to her deviant art in my profile as well. Check it out!

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

**Saturday Nights Are Family Nights**

**Just Another Saturday**

There was nothing quite like a lazy Saturday evening at home with the family. For Fang, it meant lying down on the couch with Lightning's lap for a pillow while the girls sat on the floor with a big bowl of popcorn, their eyes locked onto the television. Most Saturdays, they watched an action movie – the wonders of democracy had so far kept Diana's lifelong dream of an entire Saturday of Gary the Gorgonopsid at bay. However, the occasion documentary did find its way onto the television from time to time.

"Did you ever think we'd end up like this?"

Rather than reply to Lightning's question, Fang reached over to put the other woman's hand on her head. She wanted her hair stroked, and she couldn't be bothered explaining herself. A bellyful of pizza tended to have that effect. With a soft chuckle, Lightning started to run her fingers through Fang's hair, drawing a contented sigh from the taller woman.

"Well?"

"Not really." Fang cracked one eye open as Diana and Averia cheered. On the television, a pair of giant transforming robots engaged in a life and death struggle. At least, Fang thought they did. The camera work was so jittery that it has hard to tell what was going on. "I actually thought we'd have killed each other by now."

"Idiot." Lightning gave Fang a gentle bop over the head and then, to Fang's delight, leaned in to kiss it better. "We'd never kill each other. We might have yelled at each other a lot and fought even more, but I don't think we'd ever go that far." She paused. "Well, maybe." Another pause. "Actually, you might be right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right." Fang didn't have to look to know that Lightning was rolling her eyes. "Although… we could always have ended up having lots of angry sex. That wouldn't have been too bad." She brought Lightning's hand to her lips. "We could even have some after the movie."

Lightning poked Fang's nose. "We're not angry."

"Well, how about happy sex? That works for me."

"Mommy!" Averia turned and glared. "There are children present!"

Fang grinned. "Fine, fine. Go back to the movie. One day you'll understand." She eyed the bowl of popcorn. "And don't hog the popcorn."

"But you only what it because I have it." Averia clutched the popcorn to her chest. Diana took the opportunity to snag a handful of it. "Hey!"

"What? It's not yours. It's everyone's." Diana grabbed another handful of popcorn and made sure to eat it right in front of Averia.

It would have been very easy for Averia to let things go. But that wasn't Averia, and it didn't help one bit that Diana was wearing the most evil grin she could manage with her cute features. In a somewhat accurate re-enactment of the scene taking place on the television, the two girls sprang at one another with all the fury of a pair of mangy cats fighting over a can of fish.

Diana grabbed a stray cushion and whacked Averia over the head with it. The older girl stumbled back, grabbed another cushion and returned the favour with interest. Diana lurched away and grabbed a second cushion to try and even the odds. In the meantime, Fang grabbed the bowl of popcorn.

"You know, I never did answer your question properly." Fang sighed and closed her eyes. The explosions coming from the television were punctuated by a symphony of angry shouts and outraged wails from her two daughters. "If you're asking me if I thought we'd ever have two kids, a house and all of that…. then I'd have to say no. I always thought I'd be a warrior for the rest of my life, going from one fight to the next and never settling down. But all we need now is the a dog, and we'd have the whole stereotype."

"Funny how things work out, isn't it?" Lightning offered Fang a piece of popcorn. Fang nibbled away, pausing for a moment to kiss the tips of Lightning's fingers.

"Yes, but it's not half bad. In fact, I think things are pretty good." Fang opened her eyes to find her two daughters rolling on the ground, still locked in mortal combat. Averia seemed to have the upper hand as she applied a powerful noogie to Diana's head, but the younger of the two was working her way into position to launch a tickle attack of titanic proportions. "You?"

Lightning offered Fang another piece of popcorn. "I wouldn't have things any other way."

X X X

Saturday nights in the Villiers household were cooking nights. Serah was nothing short of remarkable in the kitchen, combining Lightning's almost obsessive attention to detail with an artistic flair that worked wonders when it came to taste. As for Snow, he hadn't started off as much of a cook, but he'd learned. If cooking was something Serah enjoyed, then he was determined to learn it so they could enjoy it together. Besides, he happened to like food, and learning how to cook it himself was an appealing thought.

Then there was Claire. She was currently entering that phase of childhood when her stomach more closely resembled a black hole than an actual physical organ. In between complaining about wanting more food, whining about how all the nice tasting food was bad for her, and just wanting something to do when she couldn't spend time with her cousins or friends, she'd pestered her parents into letting her help out in the kitchen.

Her first attempt had not ended well. After seeing her mother's skill with a knife, Claire had decided to give it a try. Only her father's fast hands had kept her from losing a few fingers. After that, knives were out unless they were blunt enough to leave all of her fingers intact even if she messed up. Her second attempt, cooking pasta, had ended in the form of a pasty sludge after she'd lost track of what she was doing.

But rather than get mad, Serah had done the same thing that Lightning had done for her all those years ago when she'd first learned how to cook. She'd pinned a list of rules to the fridge and made Claire learn them. When Claire was better, she could start deviating from the rules, but until then, she would have to follow them. The rules were simple:

#1: ALWAYS read the instructions completely BEFORE cooking.

#2: ALWAYS make sure everything was prepared BEFORE cooking.

#3: The instructions were there for a reason. Follow them and if anything isn't clear, ASK.

#4: NO USING the sharp knives without asking.

#5: ALWAYS know which parts of the stove and oven are on.

With those rules firmly in place, Claire slowly but surely improved. Her first real success – a chocolate cake – had received the seal of approval from Diana, who had promptly moved her up her list of favourite people (temporarily displacing Hope until he countered with a trip to the park). From there, Claire had gone from strength to strength, and Saturday nights had turned into a family affair with all three Villiers bustling about the kitchen.

Tonight it was pizza, pasta and spiced herb bread. In true Villiers fashion, they would be making everything from scratch. No store bought pizzas for this family! Of course, it wasn't all hard work. They had fun. There may even have been a fight with the flour, and her father may have thrown her mother over his shoulder and urged Claire to rub dough onto her face with the promise that she wouldn't be grounded. Her mother may also have chased after her father with a carrot in one hand and a radish in the other.

But it was all in good fun, and for Claire there was nothing like spending time with her parents. Sure, they weren't as crazy as Diana and Averia's parents, but it was nice for things to be normal sometimes – well as normal as they could be. She loved the way her mother always knew when she needed help, and she loved watching her father's big hands as he moulded the pizza dough into just the right shape or finished the icing on a cake with all the care of a sculptor. She even loved the way her parents would sing together off key while they cooked. They got all the words wrong, but they didn't seem to care.

But most of all, Claire loved the fact that when everything was said and done, whatever they cooked tasted better than anything they could buy in a store.

X X X

When he got right down to it, Sazh knew he was a sentimental man. His idea of a good day was watching the clouds go by with two of the most important people in his life. That was if Chirpy counted as a person.

"What do you think that one looks like?" Dajh pointed at one of the clouds drifting overhead.

"Kweh." Chirpy squawked. "Kweh."

Dajh shrugged. "You're right, it does look kind of like a giant chocobo."

How on earth they could understand the chocobo, Sazh would never know. They just could. Right now, they were out on a hill close to the ranch. He was back in town for a few weeks and with Dajh back from his first semester of university – he'd finally decided to go in person rather than do everything via correspondence – he wasn't in the mood for hard work. Later, he'd drop by and see the other former l'Cie, but right now, he was perfectly happy right where he was.

An amused 'kweh' from Chirpy drew Sazh's eye. It was funny. The bird was bigger than him and Dajh now. It seemed like only yesterday Dajh had been a little kid, and Chirpy had spent most of his time in Dajh's hair. How times changed. One of these days, he'd look over and Dajh would have a wife and kids and Chirpy's golden feathers would be grey. Damn, he needed to keep that kind of thinking to himself. Vanille would never let him hear the end of it.

"What about that one, dad?"

Sazh looked up at the cloud in question. It didn't look like anything, but that wasn't the point. "I think it looks like a dragon."

"Seriously?"

"Kweh."

Neither the young man nor the chocobo were impressed.

"Sure." Sazh grinned. "That bit there is the tail, and those two bits are the wings. It really does look like a dragon."

Chirpy gave him a gentle peck on the leg. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make his opinion clear. Dajh settled for rolling his eyes.

"No wonder everyone thinks you're going senile, dad."

"I'm not old enough to go senile, son." Sazh settled back onto the grass. "So, how is university? I know you were worried about spending more time there since you like to fly."

"It's okay." Dajh scratched the back of his head. "It's not as fun as flying or working at the ranch, but it's not bad. I made some friends too." He nodded at Chirpy. "None as cool as you though."

"Kweh."

Friends? There was something in Dajh's tone that piqued Sazh's interest. "I don't suppose one of them is a lady?" Ever since Hope and Vanille had brought their relationship into the open, Dajh had been in a bit of a funk. It wasn't easy getting over his first real crush. "Well? Can I expect grandchildren anytime soon?"

"Dad!" Dajh flushed. "Maybe there is someone I like, but… I don't know if she likes me yet. I think she does."

"Kweh kweh." Chirpy nodded sagely. "Kweh kweh kweh."

"That's good advice, Chirpy," Sazh said. "You can't go wrong with dinner and a movie. If you're nervous, you can make it a group date or something like that." He tossed a look at the chocobo. "Although I have to wonder how you know about that, Chirpy."

"Kweh."

"I see. So some of the chocobo handlers are dating?"

"Kweh."

Sazh turned back to Dajh. "Got any plans tonight?"

"I was thinking of staying at the ranch tonight, or maybe we could go out for a ride. It's been a while since we camped out, just the three of us."

"There's a reason for that. You're not a little kid anymore and I've put on a few pounds. I don't think Chirpy can carry us both." The chocobo huffed. "I'm not saying you're weak, Chirpy, but I don't want you to sprain your back. Besides, I can always grab another chocobo for the ride, Dajh, while you go on Chirpy."

"Sounds like a plan."

Chirpy got to his feet. "Kweh kweh. Kweh?"

"Yes, Chirpy, there will be marshmallows and hot chocolate."

X X X

Hope did not consider himself much of a dancer. Vanille had other ideas. As usual, he'd managed to argue his case for exactly three minutes before being dragged to a salsa dancing class. To his surprise – he should have known better by now since Vanille was the definition of surprise – the red head was already fluent in all the steps.

Perhaps it was pride, or perhaps it was her teasing smirk, or perhaps it was the thought of someone else dancing with Vanille, but he simply refused to back down from the challenge. He might not know how to salsa, but he'd survived years of Lightning's hellish combat training. If he could survive that, he could survive anything.

The first hour was a disaster. It wasn't like he had two left feet – it was more like had had four. But by the second hour, he was hitting his stride, and by the third, the instructor was convinced that he was, in fact, the reincarnation of some long dead salsa dancing genius. Hope was pretty sure that wasn't true, but he wasn't about to question his good luck.

As for Vanille… she was having the time of her life, and whatever annoyance Hope might have felt was fast disappearing. Watching Vanille move to the music, watching the pleased flush on her cheeks and the gleam in her eyes – if he wasn't already head over heels in love with her, this would have sealed the deal. As it was, Vanille drew more than a few admiring looks, and although Hope lacked Snow's intimidating size, he had learned how to glare from the best of them.

"Are you sure this is your first time salsa dancing?" Vanille draped her arms around Hope's neck and leaned in close.

"Yes, but you knew that already, didn't you? That's why you picked it."

A look of utterly fake innocence crossed Vanille's face. "Well, you have been complaining about work being boring lately. I thought I'd surprise you."

"Work has been boring, but my life has been anything but." Hope smirked. "How could my life ever be boring with you in it?"

"Are you fishing for a kiss Estheim? If you are, you're well on your way to getting one."

"Maybe. But how did you get into salsa dancing? It's not actually some weird derivative of traditional Dia culture or something is it?"

Vanille laughed. "No, but I saw it on television once and thought it looked cool. What?"

The music had begun to wind down, and Hope had to swallow his laughter. "That's so you. You see something on television and instead of worrying about how hard it might be to learn, you just go out and do it."

"Well, yeah. Anything else would be boring."

"So… are we doing this again next week?" Hope put one arm around Vanille and headed over to the refreshments.

"If you don't mind."

"I don't." Hope pursed his lips. Vanille had definitely gotten the jump on him with this one. He'd have to return the favour somehow. Maybe… yes, he could take her skydiving. It might even be a good idea to ask Lightning and Fang to come since both women had mentioned, on more than one occasion, how good it would feel to throw Vanille out of a plane. "How about we get dinner on the way home?"

X X X

**Author's Notes**

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

Ah, domestic bliss. It's different for everybody, which is what I was trying to get across in this chapter. For Fang and Lightning, it means a chance to laze about with the kids and watch a movie. For Serah and Snow it means a night of cooking and fun in the kitchen. For Sazh, Dajh and Chirpy it's all about the cloud watching. And for Hope and Vanille, it's all about dancing because… yeah.

But don't think the fun and crazy times are over for our married couples – that's what Friday nights are for! Democracy can be a wonderful thing, but when the people voting for what to do include Fang, Vanille and Serah (and sometimes Lebreau), things are never going to go according to plan. It's a good thing that Lightning is head of the Guardian Corps in New Bodhum. But don't worry. I will get around to writing a chapter about one of those Friday nights. I just thought I'd start with Saturday since it lends itself quite nicely to the splitting up format used in this story.

On an unrelated note, in the next month or so, I will be releasing three short stories on Amazon as eBooks (the term short story is deceptive, since they are each between 15,000 and 20,000 words long). One is a high fantasy, another is a darker fantasy, and the third is a paranormal Western. If you want to follow what's going on with those, I'll keep you updated on my blog and deviant art (see my profile for links).

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sisters Will Be Sisters**

**Lightning and Serah**

Lightning drew her bow taut and squinted at her target. It was a circular piece of wood about a hundred yards away with a series of concentric circles painted on the front. It shouldn't be that hard to hit. If she were using her gun blade, she wouldn't even have to think about it. A flick of her wrist, a brief narrowing of her eyes, and the target would have sprouted a bullet hole right in the centre.

But she wasn't using her gun blade.

Aim.

Breathe.

Release.

Thud.

"Wow." Serah grinned and tilted her head to one side. "You did a lot better with this shot – you actually hit the target."

For what felt like the hundredth time since they'd started their little archery competition, Lightning fought the urge to reach over and strangle the amused smirk right off her sister's face. Only two things stopped her: the fact that she loved Serah and the fact that she only had herself to blame.

They had been discussing weapons over coffee. Serah might be a schoolteacher now, but she refused to let her skills fade in case they were needed again. Lightning might have mentioned that guns were the best projectile weapons and in comparison, bows weren't all that difficult to use. She might also have made the mistake of saying how easily she could learn how to use a bow if she really wanted to.

Serah was Lightning's sister, and the younger woman was nothing if not proud of her hard won skills with the bow. Lightning could have apologised, but what did she have to apologise for? Guns were better than bows, and she was certain that she could learn how to use a bow quite quickly if she had to. After all, she was already an expert marksman with a gun, and weapon usage had always come easily to her. How hard could it be?

The answer was simple. It was very, very hard.

And Serah's reaction was equally simple. She was very, very amused.

After a brief introduction to archery from Serah, Lightning had taken her first shot at one of the distant targets. If Serah could do it, she could do it too. Only she couldn't. Her first arrow had missed by yards, and her most recent – and best – attempt had barely managed to hit the edge of the target.

"You don't have to be so smug." Lightning scowled.

"Maybe." Serah grinned – smugly – and glanced quickly at the target before peeling off a quick shot as something close to an afterthought. To Lightning's utter consternation, the arrow thudded into the exact centre of the target. "But remember when you took me to the shooting range to learn how to use a gun?"

Lightning nodded.

"Who was the one being smug then?"

Lightning had to force the word out. "Me."

"Right. And remember when we first started sword practice? Who was the one being smug about being so good with a sword?"

Lightning's face twitched. "Me."

"Yes." Serah grinned and didn't even both to look at the target before she fired another arrow that split her first right down the middle. "So you'll forgive me, won't you, if I'm a little smug right now."

"I was trying to help you get better."

Serah raised one eyebrow.

"Fine. I might have been showing off a little bit." Lightning scowled. "So I guess it's only fair you get to show off too."

Serah smiled sunnily and sent a third arrow toward the target. Lightning didn't even bother to look. The sound it made as it split her first and second arrows was enough. Her little sister was a monster, a certified monster with a bow.

"I'm glad you understand. Besides, who knows? Maybe one day your gun blade will break or run out of ammunition. If that happens, you might have to use a bow and arrow." Serah giggled. "And if you practice really hard, maybe you'll get good enough to surprise Fang the next time you two decide to have one of your idiotic competitions."

Now that was an idea worth considering. Lightning would bet every gil she had that Fang was pretty good with a bow. She would also bet every gil she had that Fang knew how bad she was with a bow. If she could practice in secret with Serah, then the next time they decided to compete…

"They aren't stupid competitions," Lightning huffed. "They are well-established methods of determining superiority."

"They're still stupid and they're still competitions." Serah flashed Lightning a teasing grin. Eyes closed, she tossed an arrow into the air, caught it, and sank it into the centre of the target.

"Now, you're just being insulting." Lightning rolled her eyes. "Out of interest, how much farther can you shoot and still be accurate."

Serah smirked. "See those targets over there?"

Lightning frowned. The closest of the targets that Serah had pointed at was three hundred yards away. "Yes."

"Watch."

Serah took seven shots, seven shots at increasingly distant targets. Even the closest target should have been an impossible shot with a bow an arrow.

Seven bull's eyes.

The scowl of Lightning's face deepened as Serah all but danced a merry jig around her.

"Not bad, right? Now, how about you actually listen to me while I'm explaining this time, and we'll see if we can get you a little better. We'll start off with the closer targets too and then work our way out."

"If I say yes, will you stop dancing around like an idiot?"

"Nope." Serah poked Lightning with the top of her bow. "But I will if you can get a bull's eye."

Lightning made a disgusted sound. "Fine. Start talking."

X X X

**Fang and Vanille**

Vanille giggled. "You're not very good at this, are you?"

Fang eyed the binding rod dipped into the lake. "You know that's cheating, right?"

"No, it's not, and I did offer you one." Vanille waved at the spare binding rod in the corner of their little boat. "You should take it because you're getting your ass kicked."

"You can keep it. I don't need your help." Actually, Fang did. Vanille had already caught five fish to her one. And by the looks of it, she had another bite. "Damn it, you have to be cheating."

"We're using the same fishing line and bait, Fang. How am I cheating? I think the fish can sense your evil intent. You're a huntress, so they know you're out to get them. Me, I'm cute and harmless, so they swim right up to my line and then – BAM – I've got them. See, I've got another one now."

Vanille flicked her wrist and the fish flopped into the bucket beside her. Fang wanted to pull her hair out.

"I still think you're cheating."

"We both know I'm not. You're just annoyed that you're losing." Vanille smirked. "You've always been a sore loser, even when we were kids. I remember when we used to play with the other kids, you always had to win, or you'd go off and sulk. They called you 'Fang the Super Sulker' when you weren't around."

"They did not!"

"They did too." Vanille jabbed the handle of her binding rod at Fang. "I was the one who always had to make nice after you got angry and stormed off, so I should know, Ms Super Sulker."

"Call me that again, and I will throw you overboard."

"See, you're being a sore loser again."

Fang's lip twitched.

"And now you're going to start pouting since you're not getting your way." Vanille shook her head melodramatically. "For a legendary huntress, you can be very childish."

"Childish?" Fang gaped. "You, the same person who enjoys cleaning kids out in monopoly, are calling me childish?"

"Yep. And it's true." Vanille's binding rod wiggled. "And I have another bite."

That was too much.

"Explain to me again why I can't dive in with my spear to catch fish?"

"Because that would be cheating. This is normal fishing, Fang, not spear fishing. If you want to go wade into the water and stab things, bring Lightning. Although knowing you two, there probably wouldn't be all that much fishing once you got her wet."

Fang took a moment to savour the thought of pushing Lightning into the water. The pink haired woman would surface with a splutter, and Fang would take the opportunity to pin her down in the shallows, hands working to get Lightning's pesky clothes out of the way so that –

"Focus, Fang, focus." Vanille jabbed her binding rod at Fang again. "And remember what happened the last time we didn't set rules? Lightning came along and she started shooting everything. It's bad enough when I go fishing with Serah. She seems to think you can use a bow. It's like none of you know how to do fishing properly."

Fang chuckled as Vanille waved one fist at her. Vanille did take her fishing very seriously. It was probably why she had so much fun fishing with Sazh since he was the only person who seemed to agree that fishing should be as slow and boring as possible.

"Fine, we'll do things your way. But you will be sharing those fish you caught for lunch, right?"

"Well, yeah, I'm not cruel. Plus, the girls would be sad if I let their mommy starve to death." Vanille smirked. "But it'll cost you."

"Brat. How much?"

"A hundred trillion gil."

"Are you serious? I don't even know if there's that much gil in the whole world."

"Well, you should have thought of that before you decided to catch only one fish." Vanille struck a sage pose. "When in the desert, water is priceless. Likewise, when starving, food is worth a king's ransom. Now, pay up." She paused. "Oh, and that was one hundred trillion gil per fish."

Fang ruffled Vanille's hair. "Put it on my tab. I wonder how Lightning is going."

"We should ask her when we get back. Remember, it was her idea to have a special 'sister day' set aside each month."

"She always has fixated on Serah a little too much." Fang smiled. "It makes you wonder sometimes."

"I don't think she's the only one fixated on their sister. What was it you said? 'I'll tear down the sky if it'll save her.'"

Fang flushed. "Vanille…"

"Oh, I appreciate your devotion and everything, but should I be worried?" Vanille gasped in fake horror as she tried to cover her body with one hand. "Did you lure me out on this fishing trip to take advantage of your sweet, innocent little sister."

"Vanille, you are hardly sweet and based on the times I've walked in on you, you are hardly innocent."

"Spoil sport." Vanille rolled her eyes. "But really, you have to admit, you're as obsessed about me as Lightning is about Serah. You had Hope fearing for his life for the better part of a month after you walked in on us. Would it have been better if I asked you to join in? Or maybe you could ask Serah to join you and Lightning. Or how about all four of us –"

"Vanille, please, shut up."

"Only when you catch another fish."

X X X

**Averia and Diana… and Claire**

Sometimes, Averia wondered what her parents were thinking. Actually, she wondered that a lot of the time. She could understand why they wanted to spend a special 'sister's day' with their sisters, but why did she have to do that too? It wasn't that she didn't like Diana – she loved Diana – but she already spent almost all of her time with her. Apart from school and hanging out with friends, Diana was almost always within reach. They even shared a bedroom.

Of course, Diana didn't mind. Saturday mornings could be very boring once cartoons were done, so the younger girl was happy to have the company. Averia just wished she hadn't won their game of scissors-paper-rock to decide what they would be playing.

"Remind me again, what are we playing?"

Diana frowned and pointed at the play tea set she'd set up in their living room. "Mom and mommy are playing with their sisters, so you have to play with me too." On the couch, their Uncle Hope gave them a cursory glance and then returned to reading the morning newspaper. "But it might be boring if it's only the two of us, so I invited Mr Snaggles to play too."

Indeed she had. There were four spots at the table. One was for Diana, one was for Averia, and was one for Mr Snaggles. That still didn't explain the black mask the plush toy was wearing though.

"I see. What about the mask?"

Diana rolled her eyes. It was obvious. "It's ninja tea." She handed Averia a black mask and put one on herself. "Now, put that on."

Averia tied on her mask and then lifted one of the teacups. There wasn't anything in it – it was imaginary tea – but that still left her in a quandary. "How are we supposed to drink with masks on?"

"We're ninjas and ninjas are awesome."

As if that explained anything…

While she was contemplating the physical impossibility of drinking imaginary tea with a fake ninja mask on, Averia glanced over at Claire, who was sitting next to their Uncle Hope on the couch. The other girl was pretending to read a book, but she was doing quite a bad job of it. Instead, she was taking quick, very obvious glances at Averia and Diana. It took Averia a moment to understand why.

Of course. Trust Claire to make things more complicated than they needed to be.

"You." Averia pointed her teacup at Claire. "Get over here."

Claire shifted forward then stopped. "But we're not sisters."

"Maybe not by blood, but we're cousins who live next door to each other and that's close enough." Averia rolled her eyes. "And do you really want to leave me alone with Diana? I thought you liked me."

"Hey!" Diana jabbed her teacup at Averia.

Claire's smile was radiant. "I guess not."

Still smiling, Claire settled into the fourth spot at the table. Averia's eyes widened. Stupid. She'd been stupid not to notice earlier. Diana had already set the fourth spot for Claire. It was the three of them and Mr Snaggles. And if things weren't clear enough, Diana handed Claire a ninja mask.

"Here. You have to wear one."

"Cool." Claire frowned. "You know, we can't drink with these on."

"You're a ninja, work it out!"

Averia waited until Diana was deep in conversation with Mr Snaggles about the merits of different blends of imaginary tea before she turned to poke Claire in the cheek.

"Dummy, you're my sister as much as Diana is."

"But we don't have the same parents." Claire's voice sounded small, and Averia hated that.

"Dummy." Averia poked her harder. "Do you think my mommy and Aunt Vanille have the same parents? Of course not, but they're still sisters." She poured Claire another cup of imaginary tea. "You're our sister, and you're struck with us. Now drink."

As the three girls and the plush toy enjoyed their imaginary tea – Diana would later add imaginary cake to the menu – Hope watched the whole thing with a smile. Averia understood something that took most people forever to learn. People didn't have to share the same parents to be brothers or sisters. All it took was shared hearts.

X X X

**Author's Notes**

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

I thought I'd try something a little fluffier after Wasteland and The Vestige. The dynamic between the two pairs of canon sisters (Lightning and Serah; Fang and Vanille) has always fascinated me. Lightning and Serah are both strong-willed, competitive people, so I can easily imagine an off hand comment going awry. Besides, I'm sure Serah would love the chance to show her sister who's boss.

Fang and Vanille have a different sort of dynamic, most likely because Fang is more laid back than Lightning. She's more content to let Vanille mess around, and she takes Vanille's jabs for what they are – little attempts at amusement. Despite how energetic she can seem, I think Vanille would enjoy regular fishing. It's a chance to sit back, unwind, and watch the world go by. I imagine Sazh would enjoy it too.

The last part of the story is about the three girls. I do think they consider themselves sisters. Diana and Averia are, obviously, sisters, but for as long as either of them can remember, Claire has also been there. Claire lives next door, so when she's not spending time at their house, they're spending time at hers. It'll be interesting to see how the dynamic changes when Claire's sibling eventually makes an appearance.

Finally, my second original short story "The Gunslinger and the Necromancer" is now out on Amazon – you can find a link to it in my profile. It runs to roughly 13,000 words. If you like Westerns with a paranormal twist, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Here's the blurb (you can find a link to a longer preview in my profile):

When the Church needs someone to send the denizens of Hell back to where they belong, they go looking for Lizzy Stanton.

As gunslingers go, Lizzy's right up there with the best of them. No matter what kind of evil she's up against, she knows exactly how to handle things – put a holy bullet right between the eyes. But when she takes a job to go after a necromancer over in Pine Creek, she might just have bitten off more than she can chew.

With zombies, demons, and one tricky necromancer to worry about, Lizzy's going to have to be real quick on the trigger. In the gunfight between good and evil, she's the gunslinger who always delivers.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	6. Chapter 6

**Of Aunts and Nieces**

**Vanille and Diana (Two of a Kind)**

Vanille loved all three of her nieces to bits, but Diana was her favourite. It wasn't simply a matter of appearances although having the chance to fuss over a miniature Fang was quite nice. No, it was all about personality. Diana was every bit as mischievous as she was. Whenever Vanille came up with something crazy to do, Diana was only too happy to join in. In fact, the little girl usually had a few suggestions about how they could make things even crazier. Yep, playing around with Diana was way, way too much fun.

It also helped that both of them liked to tinker. Whether it was with her drawings, her blocks, or even her cereal, Diana was at her happiest when she was poking and prodding something. Vanille had spent more than one happy afternoon with Diana sitting on a stool beside her as she fiddled with her latest project for the Guardian Corp's research and development division.

Diana also liked being outside, which was why Vanille had decided to let the girl tag along on one of her herb gathering trips. Cocoon's science was incredibly advanced in some areas but quite lacking in others. There were scores of medicinal plants and herbs that the people of Gran Pulse had used but which the people of Cocoon knew nothing about.

Vanille happened to know quite a lot about all those plants and herbs, and now she had Lightning's official backing to research them properly using the Guardian Corp's labs and equipment. All she had to do was collect samples but that was where things got tricky. Apart from Fang, there wasn't anyone else who knew enough to collect the right samples.

So now it was all up to Vanille – and her young apprentice – to collect the samples she needed. Diana was doing her bit, carrying the backpack that would hold most of the smaller samples while Vanille carried a larger backpack full of gear and supplies. She had no intention of spending the night on the plains, but it was always better to be prepared. Plus, Fang and Lightning would kill her if something happened to Diana.

"How come you didn't ask Averia to come?" Diana's small stature meant that she had to take several steps for every one of Vanille's. Luckily for her, the red head had made a very deliberate effort to walk more slowly so that Diana could keep up.

"Do you really want to know why?" Vanille bit back a chuckle at the eager look on Diana's face. "It's because you're my favourite youngest niece, and I want to spend time with you."

"I'm your favourite?" Diana's smile was sunny enough to melt an iceberg, and Vanille waited for the real meaning of her words to sink in.

One.

Two.

Three.

"Hey!" Diana waved one small fist at Vanille. "I'm your only youngest niece!"

"That you are." Vanille reached over to ruffle Diana's hair. "And I love you very much. But if you really must know, I didn't ask Averia to come because I was worried we might not get any samples."

"Oh." Diana giggled and latched onto Vanille's hand. Smiling mischievously, she swung their hands back and forth. "Plants really hate my sister, don't they?"

"They pretty much die the second they see her." Vanille stopped and looked around. "Wait – ah. There's the next one." She led Diana over to a small bush of brightly coloured flowers and pulled out a camera to take a few pictures. Then she cut off a small branch and sealed it into a plastic bag that she put in Diana's backpack. "Keep a lookout for trouble, Diana. I need to do some stuff."

"Right." Diana's expression turned serious, and she made a big show of looking around. Vanille knew there wasn't anything dangerous nearby, but it couldn't hurt to teach Diana the right habits. "What do I do if I see something?"

"If you see something, then hoot like an owl. We don't want it to know that we know." Vanille smirked. "You can do that, right?"

Diana saluted. And then she frowned. "Hey! Won't it know we're tricking it? There aren't any owls here during the day!"

Vanille patted Diana on the head. "Hehe. You're too clever for me to trick. If you see something, then tap me on the back."

Leaving Diana to keep watch over their surroundings, Vanille bent down to examine the plant more closely. Yes, it was in good health. The conditions here were perfect: a nice amount of sunlight, reasonable amounts of rain, and no insect pests. She took a small soil sample and put that in Diana's backpack too.

"What does that plant do?" Diana asked. She poked the plant with a stick. "Is it poisonous? Will my hand melt off if I touch it?"

"You saw me touch it, Diana, and my hands haven't melted off." Vanille grinned. Despite her words, Diana had taken a big step back when Vanille waved her hand at her. "It actually does the complete opposite. If you grind it up and mix it with water, it's a disinfectant."

"But we already have stuff like that." Diana made a face and pointed at her leg. "I was playing with a skipping rope with Yuffie and Rikku, and I tripped and skinned me knee. The nurse put some stuff on it. It stung a lot."

"Yes, we do have disinfectants, but this plant is better than what we have. It doesn't sting either. That's why I need to collect a sample. I can take it back to my lab and study it so that we can make better disinfectants in the future."

"Cool. So, we're helping doctors and nurses."

"Yes, and maybe one day, you won't have to put on stuff that stings if you skin your knee."

"Awesome." Diana eyed the plant with newfound respect. "What kind of plant are we looking for next?"

Vanille pulled out her list and laughed. "A laxative."

Diana tilted her head to one side. "What's that?"

"Not something you want to put in your cereal." Vanille peered at Diana. The girl was trying to hide it, but all of the walking had tired her out. Well, she knew just the thing for that. Smirking, she threw Diana over her shoulder and broke into a jog. "All right, you're tired so I'll carry you for now."

"Yay!"

"Then after that you can carry me."

"What?" Diana squirmed. "Put me down! I'll walk. You know I can't carry you. You're too big, Aunt Vanille! Put me down!"

X X X

**Lightning and Claire (She's a Fighter!)**

"That's it." Lightning held up the punching mitts and gestured at Claire. "You need to turn your hips more. When you're punching, don't just punch with your arms. Power comes from your legs and yours hips. Turn into the punch."

"My daddy always says stuff like that." Claire bounced on the balls of her feet and then darted forward to throw a combination: jab, cross, and a hook before she ducked under a swipe of the punching mitts and repeated the combination.

"He's right." Lightning tapped Claire on the shoulder. "Don't leave your hands out, bring them back to protect yourself."

"But he's so big." Claire grinned as Lightning moved around her in a slow circle. It was much more fun trying to hit the mitts when they weren't standing in one place all the time. She still had to work one her footwork though. Sometimes, her feet got tangled up. "I bet he could still punch really hard with only his arms."

"He probably could." Lightning nodded in approval as Claire pivoted and sidestepped to keep up. Claire was learning how to avoid crossing her feet over. Once again, the girl darted forward: jab, cross, hook, duck, jab, cross, hook. "But he still punches properly because he knows it's better to do it right. Besides, what would happen if he had to fight someone as big as he was?"

"I guess. But almost nobody is as big as he is, and most of the people I've seen as tall as him are really skinny." Lightning mimed the next combination, and Claire nodded quickly before she gave it a try: jab, cross, hook, cross.

"True." Lightning let her feet move more freely now, adding a bit of her own natural rhythm to the practice. Claire would have to adjust to Lightning's movement now as she moved in and out of range. It was all about timing and footwork – things that Claire could only develop properly through practice. Their footsteps drummed out a steady beat on the floor of the garage. "Try it again."

Claire missed the first time, but the second time, she made solid contact, giggling as Lightning countered with a half-hearted jab at her face. She parried the punch and threw an uppercut into the punching mitt held over Lightning's stomach. "It's a lot easier for you to hold those. Daddy is so tall that he really has to bend down a lot."

"Yes, your father is obnoxiously tall." Lightning's lips curled. On occasion, Snow had made a point of standing next to her, if only to point out the obvious: he was much, much taller than her. In years gone by, she would have hit him for it. Now, it was only amusing, a sort of private joke between them. "However, he knows what he's talking about. He has a lot of experience, and he knows a lot of tricks too."

"Tricks?" Claire skipped forward to throw her combination again. She was too slow to duck this time, however, and Lightning gave her a gentle bop over the head.

"Pay attention." Lightning paused for a moment and then took the off the punching mitts. Then she waved Claire over. "Has he taught you how to fight dirty at all?"

"You mean like kneeing someone in the groin or poking them in the eye?"

"Yes. A lot of the things people will teach you are about fighting fair. That makes sense – a lot of people learn martial arts to compete in competitions or to keep fit. But if you get into a fight – a real fight where someone really wants to hurt you – winning is more important than fighting fair. So make sure you ask your father about those kinds of things. He knows all about them, and he'll make sure you do too."

"Can I ask you?"

"If you want, but for today, we'll be focusing on more normal fighting." Lightning picked up some kicking pads. "Come here, we'll practice some kicking too." She poked Claire in the side at the bottom of her rib cage. "I want you to aim your kicks there. Those are the floating ribs. They're not attached as strongly as the others, so hitting them will really hurt someone. If you aim for a person's right side, you can also get the liver too."

Claire threw a kick right at Lightning's side, and Lightning blocked the blow. "Like that?"

"Wait until I say start."

"Oops." Claire scratched the back of her head. "Start?"

"Start." Lightning called out the strikes. "Jab, cross, left kick to the liver."

Claire threw the jab, the cross, and twisted her hips into the kick. Each blow made a solid thump against the pads.

"Good." Lightning mimed the motion of the kick. "Don't turn too far, or you'll throw yourself off balance. Remember: a kick to the liver is going to hurt them a lot, but you need to make sure you can defend yourself if you miss."

"Right."

Whack. Whack. WHACK.

"Better."

Lightning smiled. She loved helping Claire with this. The girl looked almost exactly like Serah when she was concentrating. She was also hard working and quick to follow instructions. As much as Lightning loved Diana, her younger daughter was very excitable. Averia, however, was almost too calm when they practiced.

"Okay," Lightning said. "We'll try a different one: jab, cross, and then a right head kick."

"Cool." Claire moved seamlessly into the moves. "How was that?"

"Good." Lightning nodded. "A few more and then we'll do some sparring." She had to hand it to Snow. He'd taught his daughter how to fight and fight well. He also wasn't too proud to ask Lightning for help when it came to polishing her technique up. The fact was: Snow was a very different sort of fighter from Lightning. He had to be given his size, strength, and reach. With the way Claire was growing up, she would probably end up much more similar in size and build to Lightning.

"When is Averia coming home?" Claire asked. "Maybe we could spar."

"She should be home soon, and I think it would be good for you to spar someone about the same size." Sparring only people much larger than her could lead to bad habits. "But for now, I'll have to do."

Claire grinned. "Maybe I'll actually get a good hit on you today."

"Maybe." Lightning's lips twitched. "Or maybe not."

Claire had the makings of an excellent fighter, but she wasn't fast enough to land a good hit on Lightning, not yet. Even Averia, who was easily the fastest of the three girls wasn't that fast. But in a few more years… well, it would be interesting to see how the girls turned out.

X X X

**Serah and Averia (It Runs in the Family)**

"Would you like to give it a try?"

"I'm not sure if I should." Averia wasn't used to feeling uncertain, but this wasn't sports or schoolwork. This was a piano, and she'd never touched one before, never mind actually played one. She'd been doing her schoolwork at home when she'd heard music coming from her aunt's house next door. It had sounded so nice that she'd gone over and looked through the window to see what it was. Her aunt had been sitting at the piano, her hands moving swiftly and surely over the keys. It was beautiful and the music… that was even more beautiful. "What if I break it?"

"It's tougher than it looks. You won't break it." Serah smiled and patted the spot next to her on the seat. She'd looked up to find Averia watching her through the window. The girl had looked horribly guilty about staring, but Serah had invited her in without a word of criticism. If Averia wanted to listen to her play, she was more than welcome to. "Come here." Serah guided Averia onto the seat. "You can watch, and I can tell you a few things about the piano."

Despite her nervousness, Averia was soon listening keenly as her aunt explained how the piano worked. She'd always had a good memory, so it wasn't hard to keep track of everything. Her aunt even explained how the keys were arranged and how a person's hands should be positioned while playing. But then her aunt asked her to try.

"I… I can't just try. I need to study it a bit more and –"

"Averia." Serah took Averia's hands in hers. "I know you. You're not the sort of person who lets a little bit of worry hold them back. I saw you listening at the window. It's my piano, and you're my niece, and I want you to try playing. I think you'll enjoy it, and I think you'll be very good." She smiled. "Please."

Gingerly, Averia pressed down on one of the keys. A grin lit up her face as the sound of the piano filled the room. Before she knew it, she was doing her best to follow the instructions Serah had given her. Her aunt gave a gentle chuckle as the sounds coming out of the piano turned a bit shrill. Still smiling, her aunt began to guide her through the basics of how to play the piano properly.

It felt like only minutes had passed, but when Averia looked up, it was already well into the evening. She blinked. She needed to get home and finish her homework – that's why she'd stayed home in the first place. Claire had gone with her daddy and Averia's parents to watch one of those martial arts competitions. Averia would have gone too, but she had some homework she needed to finish. Diana was having a sleep over at Yuffie's house.

Averia was supposed to have gone straight to her aunt's house, but she'd been in the middle of a tricky question, and then she'd heard the piano. So it had worked out – she'd ended up at her aunt's house anyway – but she hadn't touched her homework since she'd gotten there. Strangely, she found she didn't care.

"Can I come over and play the piano again?" Averia whispered.

"I would like that very much." Serah wrapped one arm around Averia's shoulders. "I only got it last week. I'm surprised Claire hasn't told you all about it."

"She has." Averia stared at the keys. "But I didn't think it would be so… so… cool."

"You know, your mom used to play."

Averia studied her aunt. She had that look in her eyes again. She was thinking of another time, back when her mom had been Claire not Lightning. Averia didn't know too much about those days, so she treasured any scraps of information she could get. Her mom had become someone completely different to protect her family, and although Averia loved the Lightning side of her mom, she wanted to get to know the Claire side of her too.

"Really?"

"She was quite good actually." The smile faded from Serah's face. "Well, until she broke her hand."

"How?"

"She got into a fight." Serah looked away. "It was after she joined the Guardian Corps. There were some people there that didn't like her. She set them straight, and her hand healed perfectly, but she still stopped playing. She had other things to worry about, I think, and she was too busy for the piano."

"But you kept playing?"

"Of course." Serah smirked. "And I got very good too. I had to – I was playing for both of us. Sometimes, when your mom got back home late from work, she'd sit next to me while I played the piano. She fell asleep against me a few times." Serah giggled. "I was tempted to let her fall asleep with her face on the keys, so she'd wake up with funny marks all over her face."

Averia giggled. "She wouldn't have liked that."

"No, she wouldn't." Serah grinned. "How would you like to try playing for real? It's not very hard, but it's something your mom and I used to play together when we were both learning as kids."

"Wow." Averia nodded quickly. "Sure."

Averia was concentrating so hard on the piano that she didn't notice the others come into the house until Diana squirmed into her lap and reached for the keys.

"Cool!" Diana grinned and grabbed Averia's hands. "I didn't know you played the piano."

"I don't." Averia blushed. "Aunt Serah was showing me a few things, that's all."

"We've been here for five minutes, kiddo." Fang grinned. "I'd say you're pretty good for someone who started today. Maybe you should join music school instead of the Guardian Corps when you get older."

"That song…" Lightning shook her head slowly. "Is that…?"

"Want to play?" Serah asked.

Averia ushered Diana out of the way. Their mom's eyes were soft now and misty too.

"I think I've forgotten how."

Averia tugged her mom over to the piano. "Aunt Serah says no one ever forgets. Come on, she told me that you used to play. I bet you're still really good."

And then, just like that, her mom and her Aunt Serah were playing. It was choppy at first, but soon the notes were flowing together seamlessly. Her mom looked… softer in a way that Averia couldn't quite describe.

"Nice work."

Averia looked up. Her mommy's eyes were misty too, and the hand she had on Averia's shoulder was shaking. "What do you mean?"

"You'll understand when you're older."

"Can I come over for lessons tomorrow?" Averia asked.

Her mom stopped. Slowly, she lifted her hands off the keys. Then she looked at Serah. "If your aunt doesn't mind."

"Of course not. You can come over anytime." Serah smiled. "Will you be coming over too, Lightning?"

"I think so." Lightning flexed her fingers. "I think so."

Her Uncle Snow hadn't said a word until then, but his voice was loud and warm and kind. "All right, you've had your chance. Let me have a go."

Claire giggled. "But your hands are too big, daddy!"

"Hey!" Snow laughed good-naturedly. "I'll have you know, I'm not bad with a guitar."

"But it's a piano, daddy."

"Just you wait, I'll show you." Snow reached over Serah to put his hands on the keys. "Come on, Lightning. Let's play together."

Averia bit back a smile as her mom punched her Uncle Snow on the arm. It was a playful punch, and her mom was grinning.

"Not a chance, Snow. Besides, it's time for dinner."

Dinner? Averia's stomach gave a rumble. "What's for dinner?"

Her mommy pointed to the plastic bags on the coffee table. "It's a bit late, so instead of cooking anything, your mom said we should get take out."

Diana nodded and grabbed Averia's hand. "It's the kind that's really bad for you, so it's going to taste awesome."

X X X

**Author's Notes**

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

One of the things I love about the Cookie Jar is that it gives me a chance to write a series of shorter pieces. I have nothing against longer chapters (some of mine have been truly gargantuan in the past), but shorter chapters demand a different set of writing muscles. You have to distil each section down to its most important features.

In this case, I wanted to do something about the kids and their aunts. It probably doesn't surprise anyone that Diana is Vanille's favourite. She definitely gets the most attention from Vanille in Ordinary Heroes. Diana is Vanille's little troublemaker, and Vanille is Diana's cool aunt.

Lightning and Claire have a slightly different relationship. Lightning knows all about the mistakes she made with Serah, and she doesn't ever want to repeat them. She wants to be the best aunt she can be, and she's come to deeply respect Snow over the years as a man and as a father. Helping Claire learn how to fight properly is one way that Lightning can look after her niece and bond with her at the same time. It also helps her avoid things getting overly emotional, which she would prefer to avoid.

And finally, there is Serah and Averia. I've always painted Averia as the most mature and perceptive of the three children and that really comes to the fore here. She is drawn to the piano, but she's also a bit afraid of damaging it. Finding out that Lightning used to play it fascinates her because it doesn't fit in with the image she has of her mom. And she wants to know more. She wants to know everything about her mom because of how much she looks up to her. That's also why she gets along with Serah so well – she sees Serah as the person Lightning could have been if things were different. And, of course, when she sees Lightning playing the piano with Serah, it touches her emotionally even if she isn't entirely sure why.

I should probably do a follow up piece to this about the girls and their uncles, but we'll see.

Also, I now have two stories up on Amazon, and you can find links to them in my profile. If you're interested in fantasy, you might want to look at "The Last Huntress." If you're interested in a paranormal Western, you might want to give "The Gunslinger and the Necromancer" a try. You won't be disappointed.

Finally, I now have a preview for my next original short story up. It's called "The Lord of Dark Waters" and it's the follow up to "The Last Huntress." If you like fantasy with a good dose of action, you'll probably enjoy it. You can find a link to the preview in my profile, but here is the blurb:

Scarlett is the last of her line – a huntress sworn to kill all monsters

Rose is a girl searching for the power to take back her homeland.

In the frozen wastes of the north, Scarlett confronted the dark truth of her origins. Now, she journeys south with Rose, desperate to leave the horror of the north behind. But the past is never far away, especially when they are drawn to the Swamp of Darkwater to hunt down a rogue vampire.

There, amidst the cursed, whisperings waters filled with muck and memories, Scarlett and Rose will have not choice but to face an evil far greater than they imagined. For the swamp is an old place, filled with old evils. It is a place where the churning waters hide the ruins of a cruel legacy centuries in the making.

The Lord of Dark Waters has awakened, and they are the only ones who can stop him. If they fail, then all of the south may fall, drowned beneath the dark, hungry tide of an ancient evil.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


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